Women’s tennis team falls to USC, UCLA

The No. 30 Arizona women’s tennis team knew it had a big challenge ahead going into this weekend’s matches against No. 3 Southern California and No. 16 UCLA. However, Arizona’s best efforts were not enough to overcome either Los Angeles school, as the Wildcats fell 6-1 to the Trojans Friday and 5-2 to the Bruins Saturday in Los Angeles.

Against the Trojans (11-2, 4-0 Pacific 10 Conference), the Wildcats (10-8, 1-2) battled a team that left Tucson with a 6-1 victory back on Feb. 25. In doubles play, all three pairs were defeated, leaving Arizona behind one point entering singles play.

“”Doubles was disappointing,”” sophomore Juliette Mavroleon said. “”It made us fight harder in singles matches. We wanted to make the girls beat us instead of us beating ourselves.””

There was one Wildcat who prevented the team from getting swept. Freshman captain Danielle Steinberg, who is currently ranked No. 54, beat No. 49 senior Luana Magnani to get a point on the board for her team.

She was also able to get a win in Saturday’s match against UCLA sophomore Riza Zalmeda, who is ranked No. 96. Claiming wins in both matches, Steinberg improved her record to 12-4 on the season.

Steinberg attributed good preparation to her success.

“”I’ve been playing good all season, and with the losses, I wasn’t physically or mentally 100 percent, but I felt good all weekend,”” she said.

Unfortunately for the Wildcats, the rest of the team wasn’t able to find the same success against the Bruins (13-2, 4-0).

“”The girls responded really well,”” Arizona assistant coach Brian Ramirez said about his team’s feelings going up against UCLA. “”All the girls were very positive and the effort on the court reflected that.””

The only other player that was able to keep the score closer than the previous day was Mavroleon. Currently ranked No. 112, she upset sophomore No. 38 Tracy Lin.

Mavroleon said that “”going out there and staying focused”” is what she works on going into every match.

“”I’m not concerned with the other girl and their ranking because I know I’m good enough to beat them,”” she said.

The win was extra special for her because in the previous two meetings this year, Lin had come out on top.

“”It was good to beat her at her home court and in front of her coach,”” Mavroleon said. “”It was pretty sweet.””

Steinberg and Mavroleon have both found success at their positions in singles. Not only do they have the natural skill, but they are also both very competitive players, Ramirez said.

“”They are both working hard at practice and have positive attitudes,”” Ramirez said. “”Even when they are down, they can see the light at the end of the tunnel, which helps them.””

For the second day in a row, Arizona wasn’t able to clinch the first point of the match in doubles on Saturday. All three pairs were swept.

Even though the Wildcats didn’t win either of the doubles points, they didn’t let that affect their mindset entering their individual matches.

“”They played well in doubles, and that’s what is most important,”” Ramirez said. “”Whether we win or lose, it’s knowing that we are doing things right.””

The girls were able to leave California with a learning experience and will be able to take that into their remaining matches of the season, Steinberg said.

“”These teams have experience with competition and are tough competitors, and any win against them is good,”” Mavroleon said.

Frosh Zwanck wins Ping/ASU invitational

The No. 18 Arizona women’s golf team finished in 10th place of 16 teams at the Ping/ASU Invitational in Tempe, shooting a three-day score of 914 (+50) after a final day score of 294 (+6).

This was despite stellar play from freshman Adriana Zwanck, who won the tournament with a three-day total of 210 (-6), including a final day 68 (-4)

Arizona’s attempts to steal the tournament from the host, No. 3 ASU, proved largely fruitless after the first day of the tournament, which the Sun Devils led with a 288 (-5). That lead was subsequently passed on the second day to No. 2 UCLA, who was able to take command with a strong score of 289 (+1) en route to winning the tournament with a 865 (+1), just ahead of the Devils’ 866 (+2).

The rest of the field of 16 teams in the tournament included 11 in the top 25, including nine of the Pacific 10 Conference teams.

Along with Zwanck were 36th-place finisher junior Rachel Gavin (+12, 228) and freshman Sommer Scholl (+15, 231), tied for 45th place, but each competed as an individual.

Of the four other women who competed for Arizona, freshman Amanda Wilson placed the highest, tying for 50th. Freshman Lauren Espinosa tied for 63rd place, senior Cassandra Kirkland, tied for 68th, and senior Whitney Welch tied for 83rd, rounding out the Wildcats’ roster.